Checkmate
by fullmetal53
Summary: On a hot Summer day, the boys decide to play a little high stakes chess to pass the time.


**Hey ya'll! This is just a one shot that I thought up a bit ago, enjoy!**

As much as Alvin absolutely loved every moment that he spent outside of a classroom, even he had to admit that summer vacation had its drawbacks; namely the unbearable heat. It was only the middle of May, but the temperature had Alvin convinced that it was the middle of the sun. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was hot weather.

"So...hot..." he managed to croak. He dared not move, because movement made him hotter. He tried to avoid speaking unless he absolutely had to because it made him hotter. Ultimately, he found that breathing and blinking were the only things he could do without considerable discomfort.

Theodore didn't seem to hear him however, despite the fact that they were both laying at opposite ends of Simon's bed. He lay in only shorts as he quietly jammed out to whatever his mp3 player decided to play while on 'shuffle' mode while occasionally doing air drum solos.

_How can he possibly be comfortable lying in this furnace!? _

Alvin looked over and saw Simon doing something on his pc. He could've even swore that he heard him chuckle. "Watcha doin over there Simon?"

The middle child simply help up a finger and went back to his activity. Alvin simply didn't have the energy to pursue it. A few moments later, he heard Simon speak, "Aaaaaaand checkmate." He chuckled, seemingly very pleased with himself. "Sorry 'theskyisblue890', better luck next time." He said with a grin on his face that could only be seen by the computer screen.

The eldest glanced over lazily, "Are you seriously playing chess? How can anybody even _think_ in this heat?!"

"Firstly," the tallest began "yes I am seriously playing chess. Secondly," he said spinning in his swivel chair to face Alvin, "It's called a 'brain'. Some people even have 'brains' that work in hot AND cold weather." Simon even made sure to make liberal use of air quotes to enhance his explanation. "Finally, I don't even get how this weather could be so inhibitive for you. I mean, it's only like 80 degrees and we live in Los Angeles. This is practically winter!"

Alvin waited for a bit so that he could compose himself. _This darned heat!_ "Look, it's too hot for you to expect me to have listened to most of what you just said. I'm pretty sure you just called me stupid though."

Simon stood up and began walking across his room to the dresser. It was then that Alvin realized that he was still wearing his blue turtleneck. _How in the world can he be wearing that!? _

The kid genius stopped at in front of Alvin who lay at the foot of Simon's bed. Alvin was simply wearing a pair of briefs. It was the very least amount of clothing he could wear without getting yelled at by Dave and truth be told, if he knew he wouldn't feel like a freak he probably would've shaved off his fur too.

"No Alvin I didn't call you 'stupid'." He pondered for a moment and pushed his glasses back up to their proper place with a finger. "Now 'unrefined' and 'crude' on the other hand..." He let the thought hang for a moment and with a shrug he continued to make his way to the dresser.

Alvin's temper was about to spike when a light bulb came on in his head. "Unrefined huh?"

Simon seemed to ignore the inquiry as he rummaged through his belongings.

Alvin simply continued. "So you wouldn't...no...COULDN'T loose to some who was 'unrefined' in a game of chess right?"

Simon stopped rifling through his things and turned to Alvin. "What are you getting at?" He asked warily.

"Well..." Alvin started while he slowly moved into a sitting position, "if you're half as good as you think you are, then you wouldn't mind a little...wager?" Alvin grinned deviously. It was the same smile that he wore whenever he was up to no good. Ordinarily it would be a red flag for Simon, and this situation was no exception.

Simon shook his head and sighed as he turned his back to his brother once again. "There are two types of people who gamble: fools, and the desperate. I am neither."

"If I am 'unrefined' as you say, then it isn't really a gamble. It's more like..." He rubbed his fingers together and looked at the ceiling, trying to find the right word. "...an _investment." _That stopped his younger brother right in his tracks.

"Alright," he said, grabbing a blue tank top from his dresser, "what are the stakes?"

"The loser has to go to the corner store and buy drinks for everyone with their allowance."

Simon couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, let the game commence." He reached under his bed and extracted from it a crystal chess set. The pieces appeared to still be in pristine condition (due in no small part to the fact that it hadn't seen many games). He laid it on the bed and sat cross-legged in front of Alvin with only the board between them. At this point Theo took off his headphones and rolled over to his stomach to watch this. He had never seen Alvin play chess before. He honestly didn't even realized that Alvin knew how to play.

"White, or black?" Simon proposed.

"White." Alvin declared with absolute certitude.

Much to Simon's surprise, Alvin actually knew how to move the pieces. As the game moved forward, Alvin was slowly loosing advantage. He did however manage to put Simon's king in check, granting him a momentary respite. "Check." Alvin notified.

_Alright, so Simon has more pieces than I do. But I've still got my queen. If can just-_

"Checkmate." Simon declared.

"What?!" Alvin quickly began scrutinizing the board. "How?! I had you in check!"

Simon simply shrugged, "You left yourself open. Now, about those drinks..."

The eldest quickly looked up from the board, "Not so fast. I demand a rematch!"

Simon rolled his eyes and sighed. "Don't be sore loser Alvin. I won fair and square. Now the drinks if you please."

"How about this: double or nothing. Two drinks, my allowance, AND I'll do it in just my underwear."

The bespectacled boy chuckled, "Alvin you can't serious!" A moment of silence and a determined look from Alvin confirmed that his older brother was indeed quite serious. Simon shook his head, "I guess, if you're REALLY sure. This promises to be good."

With that exchange, Simon made yet another query. "White or black?"

"Black." Alvin said without even looking from the task of putting together his side of the board.

Simon wore a slightly confused look on his face, but said nothing.

Unfortunately for Alvin, the game was over almost as soon as it began. "Checkmate." Simon declared, once again.

"Three moves! How did you win in three moves?!"

"Alvin," he started in his matter-of-factly tone, "you NEVER move your king in the early game. Now then." He took a moment to ponder.

"I think I'll have a strawberry soda and a lemonade. How about you Theo?" Alvin got off of the bed and grumbled something under his breath something about cheaters. Before Theodore could answer however, he was interrupted. "I don't think so Alvin." Alvin immediately stopped reaching for the pair of shorts on the floor. "I believe that part of the _investment_ dictated that you were to purchase the drinks _in your underwear_."

"Are you seriously going to hold me to that?"

Simon smiled a bit, "Absolutely. I know you'd do the same for me."

Alvin growly lowly and picked up his hoody. He reached into the pockets, pulling out a twenty dollar bill. Simon began pulling off his clothes after FINALLY deciding that a turtleneck and a pair of jeans wasn't the most comfortable ensemble to sport in this weather. He cast his pants and shirt aside, though he couldn't help but noticed that Alvin was really dragging his tail on this one. "Now don't dawdle, Dave will be home any minute. I would hurry if you want to avoid any...awkward questions."

It was Theo's voice that froze both of them. "Just a sec Simon. I have a proposition."

Simon stood there holding a white tank top in hand, "Oh come one Theo...not you too."

"C'mon Simon, it can't hurt to hear me out, right?"

"Very well, what do you have in mind?"

Theo held up a paw with 1 digit up. "One game. No 'do-overs'. No rematches. I lose, you get Alvin's two drinks, PLUS two from me. We both go in our underwear AND I'll overlook the fact you were the one who got acid on one of Dave's favorite paintings."

_This seems way too good to be true._ "And if you win?" Simon mused.

"If I win, both of you go dressed as you are and get me two drinks a piece. Also, you two can't argue or fight at all for the next week."

"No arguing with Alvin for an entire week? Don't threaten me with a good time." Simon quipped.

"Do we have a deal or not?"

Simon's face wore a grin that would've put every kid in every candy store across the country to shame. He slipped on his tank top and a pair of shorts.

"A deal it is."

The two chipmunks sat on the bed across from one another while Alvin simply stood there. He wasn't going sit down if the game was just gonna be over in the first three moves. "White or black?" Simon asked.

"Hmmm...I think I'll go with white."

Alvin meandered over to the spectacle where, to his surprise, the game was already several moves in and neither player had lost a piece yet. "Sicilian defense...very interesting." The tallest said, mostly to himself.

The speed at which they were playing was dizzying to say the least. Alvin had a very tough time just following the moves, let alone coming with possible moves that either player could make. "Check." Simon stated.

Theo thought for a moment. "Ah!" he said as though he had found a long lost object. He moved his queen across the board, snatching Simon's rook. "Huh..." was the only response he could muster. A few more blindingly fast moves later it was Theo who was in control. "Check." Simon quickly made his move, apparently having foreseen that position. Theodore moved once more, "Check."

Simon looked a little surprised, but none the worse for wear. He simply moved his king. A smile slowly crept on the face of the youngest. "Check and Mate."

Simon's face wrinkled with confusion and a small bit of fear. He looked over the board and after about two straight minutes of looking for openings, he found none. "I don't believe it..." The two eldest both spoke in sync.

Theodore looked over at Alvin, "I'll have two coconut fizz pops." He then looked to Simon, "And you can get me a coke and one of those soft drinks with the wildberry and pineapple in them." Simon wasn't going to complain or even ask for a rematch. A deals a deal after all. Theo began to put his headphones back on when he noticed his brothers heading for the door.

"Er hem. I believe that the agreement was that you two were to go dressed _as you were_ when we made the agreement." Simon realized only now (and surely to his horror) that the only thing he was wearing was a pair of boxers at the exact moment that he made the agreement. "Oh come on..."

Theodore simply looked at Simon with a neutral expression. "Sorry Simon. A deal _is_ a deal." Simon with an irritated groan very slowly stripped down. "I would hurry," Theo suggested, "Dave'll be home soon. That could get pretty awkward real quickly." Alvin was powerless to suppress a smile. Theo popped on his headphones and sprawled out on the bed.

Simon bitterly muttered under his breath as they were approaching the front door, "When the heck did he learn how to play chess anyway?"


End file.
